Forgotten
by Sage SK
Summary: **COMPLETED** Alternate universe. Even after five years of MKC's fall to the Metallikats, a former SWAT Kat fights the system in order to reach one goal: his partner.
1. Forced Betrayal

Title: Forgotten - Part 1: Forced Betrayal  
Author: Sage "Sagey" SK  
Ideas and scene role-play by: Sage SK and Kristen Sharpe  
E-mail: sagesk@hotmail.com  
Started: October 31, 2001  
Finished: March 19, 2002  
  
Comments: This mixes the elements of "Katastrophe," "Bright and Shiny Future," and "Deadly Pyramid." And, yes, this would be in an alternate future (it wouldn't make any sense if it were in the actual SK timeline, no? ;) This was based off an odd, odd afternoon dream I had... and watching too much "Samurai Jack" (it's a good show, man!).   
  
My thanks once again go to Kristen Sharpe for sitting down and helping me role-play the characters and scenes. This story also belongs to her... cuz' I said so! Thanks a bunch, mi amiga! ::hugs/Stix::  
  
Also, I give my thanks to SK Author Simon Leet for his story, "T-Bone's Stakes." It was his brilliant writing and display of character and emotion where I was able to capture Chance/T-Bone's personality and fears the first time I ever read it. And, I suggest you do, too! It's found at the SK Fanfiction Archive (http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/8850/fanfic.htm).  
  
And, thanks to all of you who read the snippet I posted from this story on FF.N! The wonderful reviews I received gave me the encouragement to finish this part a lot faster than I'd expected! :) I do hope to have the second chapter up soon.   
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"There's a moment in every man's life  
When he must decide what is wrong and what's right.  
You can wait for your dreams to come true  
But time has no mercy. Time won't stand still for you."  
~Bryan Adams - "Into the Fire"  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
He ignored the loud and heavy music as he walked towards the bar, the black cap on his head tilted downward to cover his eyes and his trenchcoat collar covering the sides of his face. Recognizable or not, he was not on safe ground. But, despite the gambling, and the stares that could have driven him away, the kat continued walking, planting one hand soundly against the bar to get the bartender's attention.  
  
"Heavy liquor milk, buddy?" asked the bartender. "Or powdered?"  
  
"Skim," returned the kat cooly.   
  
Even if the blaring music had left people seemingly hearing impaired, it wasn't enough to let his words miss the ears of every kat within that bar.  
  
The bartender rolled his eyes as he handed the kat a bottle of the drink he'd ordered. "Watch your back, buddy. People in here aren't fond of non-drinkers."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind," returned the stranger, taking his desired drink and moving to a table well away from the exit.  
  
With a heavy sigh, he sat down. As much as he wanted to remove his trenchcoat due to the excessive heat, it remained covering his identity. However, it didn't serve as a repellant to the number of bounty hunters that approached his table. Keeping his head down, he focused on the mouth of his milk bottle.  
  
"What have we here?" sneered one of them.  
  
"A *sober* kat," mocked another. "Don' see many of those here."  
  
"That's cuz' he ain't supposed to be here," added a third. "Seems rather hot ta' be wearing a trenchcoat inna place like this."  
  
"Some kats prefer to be warmer than what they already are," replied the stranger to their comments. "Guess I'm one of those weirdos."  
  
"Weirdo, maybe." The first bounty hunter, likely the leader of this pack, slammed down a wanted poster on the table with such a force that the wood cracked. "Wanted, definitely."  
  
The stranger lifted his head slightly to look at the image of the tomkat immortalized on the poster, and the reward below the familiar face that appeared to be staring back at him.  
  
"Ten grand," he said. "Went up a couple thou' since last week."  
  
"Which is why we aim ta' collect, *Furlong*," sneered the leader.  
  
With a casual stretch, Chance Furlong rotated the cap on his head to reveal his face, his green eyes scanning the number of hunters standing before him.  
  
"Five. Funny. Thought for the amount of cash involved there'd be more of ya."  
  
With a swift motion, he overturned the table, sending three of his alleged attackers to the floor. Dodging the incoming firepower, he ran to take cover behind the bar, making it with nothing but a laser burn at the bottom of his army fatigues.  
  
"Told ya' they didn't like non-drinkers," said the bartender, who had taken cover with him once he saw the firepower headed in his direction.  
  
"Yer toast, Furlong!" The first bounty hunter fired a shot without warning.   
  
Finding his window of opportunity, Chance leaped out and fired a net back at his attacker, courtesy of his Glovatrix. Seconds later, he deflected the blast with a tray he'd grabbed up to use as a shield. With a small smirk, he watched the first hunter nailed by the ropes that held the net together.   
  
His victory merely lasted for a few seconds as the hunter's counterparts rushed towards him.   
  
Chance leaped up and grabbed onto a light, swinging forward to kick them away. He'd managed to hit the nearest one square in the jaw, the others ignoring their falling comrade as they fired once again at the burly tomkat.   
  
These, however, met their comrades' fate as they were hit with a barrage of fresh cement once he landed. And, that's how he left them as he hurried outside - unconscious.   
  
He couldn't stay there now. It wouldn't take long for even more bounty hunters to find him. As he started down the street, he was abruptly stopped by the headlights of a car... a very familiar car.   
  
"Chance..." The driver paused to motion him inside. "I think you've had enough action for one night, my boy."  
  
Recognizing the driver, Chance drew in a heavy sigh and climbed in.   
  
"I wasn't trying to..." he started, but the old kat's tired smile stopped him as the beat up car headed down the road and out of the city.   
  
"Have you forgotten bounty hunters hang out in places like this?"  
  
"Oh, I know," Chance pointed out. "That's why I was there... To listen to them. They can get in, I can't."  
  
Professor Hackle finally sighed at the younger kat's words. "And, they also have increased the reward two thousand dollars. What are you going to do, Chance? You've got a reward of over ten thousand dollars over your head."  
  
The feeble kat's words never reached Chance. There was a certain determination in the tabby's look... in his tone of voice.  
  
"I'm going to get Jake back," he said firmly, fiddling with something on his Glovatrix.  
  
Once again, Hackle sighed. He knew what was troubling the young kat, not that he could blame him. Not that he could stop Chance from trying to break into Metallikat Headquarters like he had since the very first day they took his partner...   
  
Breaking out of his musing, Hackle once again tried to speak the language of reason, but to Chance Furlong, it was foreign.  
  
"You've been trying to get him back for the past five years, Chance... Everyday it's the same thing... wondering if you're going to make it back alive with all these lunatics after your hide. This isn't Dark Kat you're fighting, son. It's something bigger."  
  
However, all Chance could say was, "I *will* get him back."  
  
The tabby's never-ending determination to rescue his partner was years away from dying down. And, Hackle knew he couldn't stop it. Saying no more, he continued driving them down the road towards their sanctuary, where they knew the Metallikats' forces couldn't find them.   
  
But the troubled mind of Chance Furlong continued to ask the same question.   
  
Where was Jake? What was he doing?  
  
-------------------------------  
  
"You let him escape?!"  
  
The bounty hunter shied away from the camera, trying not to look into the eyes of the kat he knew was watching his every move.   
  
"It wasn't so much letting..." he quavered.  
  
"It's ONE kat! ONE kat with ONE weapon!"   
  
The steel and bare walls of the fortress surrounded the kat with infinite wires, connecting him online to almost every area of the city before him. Many wouldn't have recognized the kat if they'd tried. Only a precious few would know that it really *was* the same kat.   
  
Jake Clawson's fur color hadn't changed. However, the friendly look in his once amber eyes, the peaceful serenity of his voice, and his innocent facial expression... those were gone.   
  
An odd source of light illuminated his features, and it was enough to show the spectator what had changed the young kat in five years. He sat in what appeared to be an office chair, surrounded by wires connected to a small area above his left ear.   
  
Where the microchip was.   
  
Where the source of the tom's sudden thoughts of city domination remained dormant until he awoke its full fury.   
  
"But, he's... just good!" the bounty hunter insisted.   
  
"He's a kat, not a machine!" Jake spat. "Now, I want you to get this kat and I want you to get him NOW! Once he's outta the way, I can procede to phase two!"  
  
Finding himself beaten, the bounty hunter quavered again. "Yes, Sir..."  
  
At that, Jake gave him a well practiced sneer and cut off the connection. His patience was reaching its end. He could *not* let Chance Furlong interefere. He could not.   
  
---------------------------  
  
"Razor, ya' got 'em?"  
  
His partner's voice echoed via the communicator in his helmet, reminding the young SWAT Kat to acknowledge his status.   
  
"Affirmative! The Metallikat Express has just made its last stop!"   
  
Missiles were loaded and locked. It was time to take down the remains of the Metallikat Express before it and its occupants caused any more damage. Just... one... clear... shot.   
  
Razor's concentration was broken by an unexpected grip... one that held him by the neck and dragged him from the Cyclotron. With a squall of surprise, he distantly saw his vehicle collide against the wall before he finally realized he was within the clutches of one of Dr. Viper's mutations.   
  
He struggled to get down, trying to free his arms, but to no avail.   
  
"Looks like Viper's fungus fingers have *this* SWAT Kat right where we want 'im!"  
  
"Yeah! Let's finish him off before the others get here!"  
  
What was that he heard?! The Metallikats were aware that Viper had him?! He struggled once again upon seeing the glint of their weapons. If he didn't get out of there fast...  
  
"Dark Kat'sss orderssss were to take him alive!"  
  
Razor couldn't believe his eyes as Dr. Viper abruptly appeared, then realized what the snake like kat had said.   
  
Dark Kat?!   
  
NO! He struggled against his bonds. Not Dark Kat. These villains couldn't have formed an alliance. It couldn't be! His hands tried to free themselves, trying to get him away from the grip. T-Bone... He had to reach his partner!  
  
Once again he fought against the menacing grip of the fungus, its tentacles dangerously closing around his windpipe. And, his mind screamed.  
  
When had these villains teamed up?!  
  
"Crud," he whispered. And, slowly, the darkness overcame him. It was only before he lost consciousness that he'd been injected with a sort of tranquilizer once he was lowered towards the waiting villains.  
  
---------------------------  
  
Chance remained pensive, sitting on the edge of his bed, his tired mind wandering back to the incident at the bar. A small growl emitting from his throat, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd just remained incognito... or even just forced the answers he needed from his attackers.   
  
But, it all happened so fast...   
  
His thoughts were broken by a soft knock on his door, and the kind face of Professor Hackle peering inside. "Breakfast time, Chance."  
  
"Okay, I'm coming..." Chance returned, taking one last look at the photograph in his left hand. Standing up, he tucked it away under a book on the nightstand.   
  
Hackle cocked his head quizically, then steadily made his way to sit down, his cane making little noise as he sat on the chair beside Chance's bed. "Chance..."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Is that the same picture you showed me not too long ago?"  
  
With a small sigh, Chance nodded. "Yeah..."  
  
Seeing the younger kat was in need of a few words to get him back on his feet, Hackle attempted the impossible after a few minutes of complete silence. But, he wasn't Jake Clawson. "I still have faith in you, Chance..." he began, trying to catch the tabby's attention. "But... you need help if you want to get Jake out..."   
  
"Who could help me?" Chance interrupted, lifting his head just a bit to gaze at his friend.  
  
"The Enforcers..." Hackle picked his words carefully. "Anybody who doesn't agree with this reign of terror. Everybody is living in fear, Chance... The city has to stand up for itself..."  
  
"Feral doesn't want anything to do with me!" Chance said, his voice in a frustrated tone. "And, besides, I don't trust him or his pack of gung-ho troops not to *shoot* Jake!"   
  
Hackle sighed. Clearly, Chance had lost all confidence in those that he'd helped in the past years, despite their differences on how they viewed the law.   
  
"You're not even sure if that's what they've got in mind... Perhaps they only intend to capture the Metallikats and save Jake's life. You need a distraction. Let them attack the Metallikats while you go save Jake..."  
  
He was trying to formulate a plan... Anything to keep Chance from performing the same act he'd performed only hours before.   
  
However, Chance's views on who was or wasn't an ally continued to blur his definition of justice. And, his righteous indignation wasn't helping any, even if he *did* have every reason to be upset.   
  
"If one of their SWAT Teams comes upon Jake along the way and he doesn't freeze when they say to? They'll open fire. It's what they're trained to do. It's instinct. It's what keeps them alive."  
  
"Then you've got to reach a compromise, Chance... You'll end up getting yourself killed if you keep running like a renegade against an entire army that's after your head."  
  
"But, I can't let him get killed....." Chance whispered desperately.  
  
"And, you can't die like this, either," Hackle returned. "If you want to save him, you've got to keep yourself alive."  
  
Chance sighed heavily, letting his head drop, feeling Hackle distantly place a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"You can't lose faith either, Chance..."  
  
Chance sighed. "I'm not losing faith... I'm just... tired..." And, he was afraid. Afraid of what five years had done to Jake. Afraid of what was going on in the fragile mind of his best friend.   
  
"As are all of us, lad... And, somewhere, deep down, Jake is trying to get in touch with you... I just know that... I feel it..."   
  
The tabby seemed to perk up at that. "You really think so?" he asked, looking up a bit more.  
  
"Do YOU think so?"  
  
"I... I don't know... Sometimes..." Chance choked out his words, trying to make the knot in his throat go down, trying not cry. "Sometimes, I'm afraid I've already lost him... That I lost him years ago... That that thing in his head will have him so messed up, if he could speak to me as himself for just a minute, he'd *want* the SWAT Team to kill him so he couldn't hurt anyone anymore...."  
  
And, the thought sent shivers up his spine. *Was* that really Jake? Would Jake be willing to commit that type of euthanasia to right all the wrong he'd caused?  
  
"You believe Jake would be that willing to sacrifice himself? Without finding a way to help him first?" Hackle asked, puzzled.   
  
Chance nodded. At that moment, he was speaking his friend's point of view. "Jake would always be willing to sacrifice himself..." And, in a side thought, he added to himself, 'But, I'm not willing to sacrifice him....'  
  
Hackle's head lowered at the younger kat's words, then he reached out to take the picture that was just sticking a tad out of Chance's book and just remained staring at the two kats there.  
  
It was a portait that could easily bring back memories, that could be framed within the minds of the two kats that were pictured. It appeared to be in the hangar, and it wasn't hard to recognize the pair.   
  
Jake Clawson was being grabbed around the neck and noogied even as he had on arm up with his fingers in Chance's far ear. Clearly a sign of friendly wrestling. According to Chance, it was the only shot of them out of uniform ever taken in the hangar... and it had been by accident. Behind them, the Turbokat, their once-magnificent jet, sparkled with the hint of being recently polished.  
  
Breaking out of his musings, Hackle replaced the picture in its rightful spot and turned back to the tabby.   
  
"C'mon, Chance. You need to eat. And, I'll show you a few things I designed that you can use..."   
  
Chance nodded. "Alright...."  
  
The old kat shakily made himself stand up. After five years, he'd been losing his ability to keep himself balanced. His talent to invent, however, was a different story. Chance stood up to help him.  
  
"Thank you, lad..." Hackle patted him on the shoulder. "We better not keep those tuna sandwiches waiting."  
  
At that, Chance finally managed a chuckle. "Definitely not."  
  
As he helped Hackle move to the kitchen, Chance began to note how frail the old professor had gotten. Granted, while he'd actually gotten a bit more muscular, he himself began to gain some premature gray hairs. And, it never occurred to Chance that it could happen to someone who'd just turned the solid age of 30 less than a year ago.   
  
---------------------------  
  
His breathing was rushed, cold, as he sucked in breath after breath, his bare feet dismissing the feeling of mud and slime. On and on he ran through the swamp waters, the hollow trees extending through what appeared to be an endless passage. Their branches menacingly shot out to catch him, obviously with a little help of Dr. Viper's sickening experiments.   
  
This did not stop T-Bone. With a violent snarl, he slashed out at the vines with his own claws, his Glovatrix finishing the task with a buzzsaw missile he unwillingly deployed.   
  
Because he was unable to concentrate on the imminent(sp?) danger ahead of him. Because his mind was set on one kat.   
  
His partner. Razor... where was he? What had they done to him?  
  
His mind merely recalled what he'd encountered upon landing the Turbokat outside the Megakat Tunnel. He'd heard the explosion. He'd seen the Metallikat Express make its way out of the tunnel. He'd heard the static that came from his helmet intercom. When he tried to contact Razor... When he couldn't get connected to the Cyclotron's head computer from the jet itself.   
  
And, his heart had made itself into his throat as he sprinted down the dark tunnel, drawn towards the smoldering ashes of what was left of the Cyclotron. He'd called his partner's name... to no avail. He'd searched, found no trace of his best friend.   
  
Then, he felt something hovering above him, his eyes narrowed upon the cold feeling that ran down his neck as he spun around. Without warning, he fired a tarpedo towards the fungus that attempted to capture him.   
  
With a satisfying smirk, he let the monster thrash through its sticky prison, his mind settling with the conclusion that the snake of Dr. Viper was involved. Abruptly, his eyes flew wide as the fungus dropped a rounded object, one that ricocheted off the ground and to the feet of the larger kat. At that, T-Bone couldn't let his heartbeat slow down. Not as he reached for the SWAT Kats' pilot helmet that belonged to none other than his own partner.   
  
The flashback played itself like a broken record, reeling back again and again as T-Bone reached the grounds of Viper's lair.   
  
As Razor would have suggested, he would have searched for a suitable entry that wasn't liable of pointing out his position. But, the brawny tabby paid the thought no mind as he directly rammed his foot into a thinner layer of what was obviously a wall, making his own entry as he forced himself inside.   
  
And, his eyes came upon that of a very startled Dr. Viper.   
  
He gave the snake kat no opportunity to even speak as he pounced with all the fury he was known for, grabbing Viper by the collar and ramming him against the wall with such a force that the beakers on the experimental table next to them shook.   
  
And, his angry green eyes narrowed dangerously into Viper's as he snarled out three words, every inch of his teeth clenched tightly.   
  
"WHERE... IS... HE?!"  
  
The snake kat struggled against the grip of the furious SWAT Kat, tail thrashing in the attempt to attack back. But, T-Bone's grip remained and, without warning, stepped back just a few feet to fire a bola missile to tie Viper into a tight bond. Another shot indicated an octopus missile, one that stapled Viper's tail to the wall.   
  
Satisfied that the green kat was unable to move, T-Bone crossed his arms.   
  
"I'll ask you one more time, Viper. *Where* *is* *my* *partner*?!"  
  
"Sssstupid, SSSWAT Kat. You're too late!" Viper struggled against his bonds as he spoke, trying to break free, trying to get away from the SWAT Kat's fury.   
  
"Spare me the movie script, you miserable constrictor." T-Bone hauled Viper up by the collar, eyes narrowed. "It's getting old. Where is Razor?"  
  
"T-Bone?"  
  
The voice was meek. Tired. And, it sent a chill down the big kat's spine. Spinning around, he met the eyes of his smaller partner, weary as he held onto a vine for support. Giving no thought of where Viper might land, T-Bone dropped the mad scientist and rushed to his friend.  
  
"Razor? You okay, buddy?"   
  
T-Bone checked for any obvious cuts and bruises. He found none, which struck him as odd. But, he gave it no further thought.   
  
"C'mon, Razor. We're getting outta here."  
  
"No... Chance... I can't go."  
  
And, that was the stone that shattered the mirror. T-Bone froze, his eyes wider than he could ever muster, his blood running cold. Razor... just gave away his real name?! But...   
  
"Run that by me again, Razor?"  
  
"J... Jake now, Chance... I can't go with you..."  
  
"What are you talking about?!"  
  
"My place... is with them, now." And, ever so slowly, the smaller SWAT Kat removed his mask, his amber eyes meekly looking up at T-Bone. "I'm sorry..."  
  
No sound emitted from the taller SWAT Kat. No sound except for heavy breathing. His green eyes were frozen into his partner's amber orbs. This could *not* be happening. What had they done to Jake?!  
  
"Ah... I see you've found your way to our little circle of friends."  
  
It was a voice that sent even more chills down T-Bone's spine... which were abruptly melted by the fury that burned within him. With a snarl, he spun around to face the owner of that voice.   
  
Dark Kat.   
  
"You..."  
  
"Oh. I forgot to mention that your partner might be staying with us a while longer," the purple kat purred, helping Viper out of the bonds that trapped him.   
  
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!"   
  
"Oh, nothing too serious..." Dark Kat casually made his way behind Jake, placing a large hand over his shoulder. "Just made him a member of our own..."  
  
That was about all T-Bone could take. "He'd NEVER do that!" he snarled. With a swift movement, he grabbed Jake by the arm. "We're getting outta here, Jake."   
  
Jake looked on, his weary eyes never leaving his partner's. And, he never moved. Instead, he let his ears droop.  
  
"Chance... Leave while you still can."  
  
"I am NOT going ANYWHERE without YOU! Now, c'mon!"   
  
Again, Jake didn't move. Behind him, Dark Kat and Viper looked on, as though enjoying the spectacle, wondering how long it would last before the larger SWAT Kat realized that he'd lost the war.   
  
And, Dark Kat didn't hesitate to have T-Bone find out. With a sinister cackle, he directed his attention to Jake.   
  
"Razor, activate."*  
  
Without warning, Jake sank to the floor, screaming as he held his head.   
  
"Jake?!" T-Bone was beside his partner in a heartbeat, holding him by the shoulders. "Jake, what is it?!"  
  
"Ch...ance! Get out!! It's taking over me! Th' chip's taking over me!! Get out!"  
  
"Chip?!" T-Bone's eyes shot a glare towards the other two villains. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"  
  
Dark Kat cackled merrily with Viper's own hissing. His evil glare came upon the tabby, grinning sinisterly despite Jake's screams. "Just a sample of my mini microchip. It should eliminate your partner's previous recollection of his past in a matter of seconds. Don't think reasoning will stop the process."  
  
T-Bone directed his attention towards his partner once again, shaking him desperately. "Jake!! Wake up!"  
  
"Chance!! Get out, NOW!"  
  
"I'm NOT leaving..." T-Bone froze. He was unable to move, unable to hold his partner again as the smaller kat's Glovatrix was aimed at him.  
  
"Chance... Please.... Leave now... Before... they get you, too." Jake's eyes were tearful, losing their amber coloration. "I'm sorry, Chance... I'm sorry, buddy... Maybe... you'll find a way to stop this..." He said no more as the tears fell. "Please... Go on, buddy. Go."  
  
"Jake..." The taller kat realized how serious his partner was at this point, shakily stepping backwards, back to the entry he made for himself. Then, there was a tone of determination in his voice. Not once did he look at the two villains. All his attention was directed towards Jake.   
  
"I WILL come back, Jake. Don't think that thing's gonna stop me. I WILL come back!"  
  
With that, he was gone, not daring to look back as he ran through the swamp, his mind forever focused on the sad and innocent look of his best friend...   
  
Reaching an area well away from the lair, he stopped to catch his breath. And, sinking to his knees, all the big kat could do was one thing.   
  
He shed tears.  
  
He cried... and cried... and cried.   
  
And, it would have been only days later when he'd watch the Metallikats begin to take over the city, with his partner as a right hand kat.  
  
---------------------------  
  
'I WILL come back, Jake. Don't think that thing's gonna stop me. I WILL come back!'  
  
Chance let his mind drift back and forth from time to time, watching Hackle get the sandwiches from the counter as he was told to sit the minute they got into the kitchen. He distantly saw the older kat set his sandwich in front of him. Picking up the morsel, the tabby simply looked ahead and, in what appeared to be seconds, ate it whole in four big bites. He didn't even pause to savor the taste. All he did was ponder his options of getting Jake out of that fortress as he swallowed.   
  
"You finished that fast, lad," Hackle commented, barely picking up his own sandwich.  
  
"Heh... I was hungry..." Chance blushed slightly, his eyes meekly asking Hackle if there was more where that came from.   
  
"You haven't eaten in days, have you?"  
  
"No...," Chance reluctantly admitted. "Sometimes... I'm not hungry..."  
  
The old kat smiled gently, realizing that, in the last few weeks, despite the lack of food Chance's body demanded daily, the younger kat had managed to keep the bulk of his muscles.  
  
"You need your strength, lad," he said. "Better help yourself to another one. There's more than enough."  
  
"Alright."  
  
As Chance got up to get another sandwich, Hackle concentrated on the young kat's Glovatrix, figeting with a few wires and buttons. Chance munched on his sandwich, slowly this time, watching the old kat, wondering what he'd found so interesting in his weapon. Granted, his supply of mini missiles was constantly running low. Not that Hackle couldn't build more from scratch.   
  
But, he wasn't Jake. Jake would always keep their supplies stocked. Jake created the Glovatrix. Jake taught Chance how to use it.   
  
He just wasn't Jake.   
  
"Made a few additions to your weapon, lad," said Hackle, snapping Chance out of his stupor.   
  
"Like what?"  
  
Handing the tabby back his Glovatrix, Hackle motioned him outside. The curious tomkat pulled on the weapon and followed the professor to the balcony of the beachside apartment, miles away from the old house Hackle had once lived in.   
  
Safety had been a primary concern for Chance when he'd turned to Professor Hackle for help, convincing the elder kat to find a location where the Metallikats wouldn't find them. The run-down, two story apartment wasn't the best in the city. Then again, MegaKat City wasn't the best area to search for a place to live... not after five years. Those who'd survived the work camps were let free in promise of good behavior. Some went out to try and lead a normal life without complaining. Others had become bounty hunters in a matter of weeks. Women, children and the elder had stayed behind as part of the salvage slave labor. Those who'd avoided imprisonment had fled the city to neighboring Katskill** and Lake Faroe*** in search of a home and relatives.   
  
Chance took in a deep breath as the salty air was welcomed into his nostrils, the wind blowing sheepishly into his face, ruffling his facial fur.   
  
"Try the first button on the right," Hackle instructed.   
  
Making sure it wasn't aimed at anything substantial, Chance did as he was told. Before his eyes, the facsimile of a tridimensional radar**** was displayed. The red, laser-like grid awaited instructions, asking the owner to give a command.   
  
All Chance could do was gape. "Woooooow... Cool effects, Professor."  
  
Hackle chuckled at the younger kat's fascination. "You can see through building interiors and find a life form within a range of 30 feet. Now, try the button on the left... aim towards the water."   
  
Snapping out of his fascinated muddle, Chance retracted the radar and aimed directly towards the sea, praying that no one would actually see anything from where they were standing, especially the robots on patrol.  
  
And, his amazement was once again rewarded. The Glovatrix, upon senstive touch, fired a thin, but powerful, beam of ice, the large body of water below temporarily forming a small pond of ice that was destroyed by the vehement waves within a matter of seconds.  
  
Chance remained gaping. "Yow!" he finally exclaimed. "Professor, you've outdone yourself!"  
  
Hackle smiled. "As long as you can put them to good use..."  
  
Put them to good use... Chance stared at his newly armed Glovatrix and managed a smile.   
  
"I'll do my best....."  
-----------------------------  
  
The metal based main corridor of Metallikat HeadQuarters was silent save for the low hum of the huge fans overhead, giving the area a cool environment. It was kept at a perfect temperature to prevent any machine from overheating, especially the robots on patrol.   
  
One of those particular robots, while not chosen to be on patrol, still felt that its presence was needed with that of the one calling it, commands swiftly processing through its hard drive. Its orders received, the Cybertron, once the invention of a certain Professor Hackle, made its way towards the main control center, a questioning beep emitting once he faced his caller.  
  
[Are... *they* anywhere?]  
  
The Cybertron glanced at Jake, quickly searching to decifer the younger kat's current mood. The non-metallic kat appeared to be civil enough to talk. At the moment, he was calm.   
  
[Negative,] returned the robot, speaking back in mental terms.  
  
Jake sighed. [Good.... What are the conditions outside?]  
  
Checking out a nearby window, the Cybertron replied, [Cloudy. More than smog. It's overcast. Damp.]  
  
[Alright.] Jake nodded at that. His timing was a good as any. [I need you to send a message...]  
  
[Send? I am not equipped for cyber message delivery outside our connection.]  
  
[Can you deliver a message, then?] Jake's every feeble attempt to speak to the robot was being pushed by his subconscious, fighting, struggling to gain some control before the chip took over the young tom's mind once again.   
  
The Cybertron gave the affirmative. [I am ready,] it replied, waiting for its intructions.  
  
[I need you to find Chance...] Jake directed, his subconscious fighting once again to regain control. [Tell him not to get any closer to this place... the reward's already increased... They're instructed to shoot him on sight.]  
  
The Cybertron sent a feeling of confusion. It had express orders not to discuss Chance Furlong with Jake in some of his current moods. Slowly, the robot could tell that Jake's calm state of mind was about to disappear. [You have noted to me before that he is unlikely to discontinue his efforts... and he is incapable of understanding me.]  
  
Jake sighed. [Yes... I am aware...] Five years didn't stop Chance from trying to break his way into Metallikat HQ, and he was sure that, even if the Cybertron did deliver the message, the kat that was once his best friend wouldn't back down. [In terms of comprehension, search for his Glovatrix's computer....]  
  
The Cybertron gave the facsimile of a nod. [I will do so. Are there any further instructions?]  
  
[None for now... don't let them see you...] Jake's passive tone of voice was weakening.   
  
[Understood....] With that, the Cybertron hurried to carry out its task, long before Jake was aware that it was gone.   
  
The current Jake, the one that'd increased the reward, called up the bounty hunters he'd hired earlier.   
  
"Have you found 'im yet?!"  
  
----------------------  
  
The weather that the Cybertron had predicted was indeed in its worst. A steady fog was slowly beginning to descend over the metal-based city. Finding this a good time as any to search, the willing robot looked for the kat Jake Clawson had sent him to seek, scanning for a kat with both the weight and height as that of Chance Furlong.   
  
On the opposite direction of the street, Chance himself was once again scouting the area, yet in another disguise. This time, however, he wore a black mask over his eyes. Even if it did keep his face incognito, the memory of wearing the mask was downright painful, reminding the young kat of his days as a SWAT Kat. Focusing now on his goal, he reminded himself not to walk into anymore bars. The mask itself spelt trouble.   
  
Abruptly, he perked his ears to that of a wizzing sound... one coming a few feet from the area where he was standing. Eyes narrowed upon seeing a robot cruise by, he readied his Glovatrix, his missile of choice loaded and ready to deploy upon his command.   
  
Then he paused, eyes narrowed as he recognized the smaller robot.   
  
"Cybertron?"  
  
The Cybertron scanned the lone kat upon hearing his voice. Then, recognizing him, he raced over where Chance was standing, emitting a series of beeps that appeared to be joyful.   
  
It was the Cybertron, alright, Chance mused. But, what was it doing here? Did Professor Hackle send it after him? And, if he did, why didn't he ever tell Chance that it'd been rebuilt?  
  
"Cybertron... what're you doing here?"  
  
His inquiry was given a series of beeps as an answer. Burying his face into one hand, Chance murmured, "I forgot... You don't speak English..." He paused once again, green eyes suddenly worried. "Did something happen to Hackle?"  
  
The Cybertron shook its head, trying to interface with the computer in Chance's Glovatrix.   
  
Taking a hint, Chance knelt down and held out his Glovatrix, watching the Cybertron extend a hand and let a little wire deploy to link to the weapon's computer.   
  
"What is it?"  
  
Finally, Chance was rewarded with words, those displayed on the Glovatrix's 3-D radar. "Greetings, ChanceFurlong."  
  
And, once again, Chance couldn't help but blink. This was new.   
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"I..." He broke off the sentence with a sigh. "I'm alright... Why's Hackle worrying again?"  
  
"I have not seen my creator in two years, ChanceFurlong."  
  
"Two years...?" Chance frowned. If it wasn't Hackle who'd sent the Cybertron after him... "Then... How'd... Who'd... Who sent you?" Paranioa began to taken over Chance's mind, eyes darting around to make sure he wasn't being set up.   
  
The Cybertron didn't answer directly. "I was taken from my home in the lab... Now, I have found you."  
  
Chance sighed.  
  
"I see...," he murmured. "What... brings you looking for me?" Suddenly, memories of the Cybertron came back in numbers. And, among them were those of Razor. When they'd first met the Cybertron and what Hackle had programmed it for. How badly Razor wanted to test it. The way his amber eyes lit up behind that mask and looked at the robot from head to toe. The way he acted like a small child with a new toy. At that, Chance couldn't help but wince.   
  
The Cybertron looked at him for a moment, then finally replied. "I am sent by JakeClawson."  
  
Chance froze, eyes wide, his face going pale as he read the words the Cybertron had displayed on the radar. And, he couldn't get the words out. All he could do was stammer.   
  
"W.... Wh... What did you say?"  
  
The words were still on the screen, flashing briefly so Chance could reread. At that, the tabby sat down. His eyes never left the words on the radar, his heartbeat and his thoughts going crazy, unable to slow down.   
  
"I was sent to deliver a message...," explained the Cyberton. "But, my new primary programming is to assist you... It was added by your JakeClawson when he was most himself."  
  
"How is that possible?!" Chance yelped, abruptly finding the words he was looking for.   
  
"JakeClawson sometimes functions as he did when I was introduced to you."  
  
The taller kat remained mute. However, deep down, for the first time in five years, he was starting to find a ray of hope... one that he'd never see again. And, all this time, he remained starting the Cybertron.   
  
"Are you alright, ChanceFurlong?" asked the robot.   
  
"How long ago was this?" Chance whispered.  
  
"How long ago was what?"  
  
"His... this... change?"  
  
"JakeClawson fluctuates between his personalities infrequently."  
  
Chance arched a brow enough to make it form a near perfect checkmark. "You mean... his attitude changes at irregular times?"  
  
The Cybertron nodded.   
  
"How long has that been going on?!" Chance demanded, the back of his mind angrily yelling at Jake for not getting in touch with him earlier.   
  
"Since I was taken from the lab and first gained knowledge of his... condition."  
  
That was the fuse that lit the bomb.   
  
"Then... why didn't he try to contact me then?!" the tabby yelled, a fist clenched in the direction of Metallikat HeadQuarters.   
  
"I am uncertain. But, JakeClawson is careful the other personality does not learn of my programming." The Cybertron was unphased by the larger kat's tone of voice, unaware that it was the type of attitude that had his enemies quivering, hoping that they would not encounter the being that was once known as T-Bone, the SWAT Kat.   
  
Reeling back to the files stored in its hard drive, the Cybertron recalled the first time it'd met the SWAT Kats. The smaller one, Razor, the alter ego of today's Jake Clawson, was the quieter of the two, eager to take it with them. T-Bone, on the other hand, didn't appear to be too friendly... not when he'd seen the Cybertron face to face at least. And, he wasn't at all too happy when the Cybertron had accidentally run over his bare foot.   
  
The Cybertron's first impression of the two masked kats was confusing, in a sense. Why did these non-metallic beings run around in masks? And, barefoot? Weren't kats accustomed to wear civilian clothing? To be able to walk freely without the fear of getting shot at?  
  
Then he'd realized what these two SWAT Kats, these heroes, were after. They had their duties. They were to serve and protect the place that they called home. And, "to serve and protect" was what the Cybertron's first instructions were when his creator brought him to life.   
  
A heavy sigh broke the Cybertron out of its "musings," catching Chance Furlong in time to bury his face into one hand. And, it was puzzled upon seeing tears streaming down the big kat's cheek.   
  
"ChanceFurlong... you are crying."  
  
"I know..." Chance managed through sobs.   
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's... too... complicated to explain...."   
  
"Please try," pleaded the Cybertron, watching Chance's actions curiously. Was this sobbing being, this non-metallic lifeform, really bent on destroying the Metallikats? One that wasn't capable of hiding his emotions as Jake Clawson was able to do?  
  
"I haven't seen him in five years, thinking that vile chipped messed him up completely..." Chance continued sobbing. "Yet somewhere in his mind... he's still Jake..."  
  
"Yes, he is..." The Cybertron waited patiently, watching, letting Chance cry. Finally, in what appeared to be endless minutes, Chance took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped away at his eyes.   
  
"Okay.... I think... I can manage..." Forcing himself to stand, Chance started walking back towards the building he called home, well away from the city, motioning the Cybertron to go with him.   
  
"Where are we going?" enquired the Cybertron, barely managing to retract the little cable it used to talk to the tabby from his Glovatrix.   
  
"Home," Chance stated simply. "You've got some more explaining to do."  
  
The Cybertron gave another nod, a beep hinting that it'd replied with a simple word.   
  
"Alright."  
  
------------------------  
  
To Be Continued  
  
* - Shamelessly borrowed from the RPG plot Kristen and I had going one night. Knew you'd recognize it, Kris! ;)   
  
** - Katskill is a city I coined after the Catskill Mountains.   
  
*** - While it isn't something I came up with, Lake Faroe is a popular city used in most SWAT Kats fanfics. I'm not too sure who really initiated it, though I've been told it was Anubis Soundwave.   
  
**** - Remember that this is based in an alternate universe. This means that "Dark Side of the SWAT Kats" never really happened, so we're assuming Professor Hackle invented the dimensional radar in this plot.   
  
Inspirational Music:   
  
"Plowed" - Sponge   
  
"Freedom Fighter" - Creed  
  
"Weathered" - Creed  
  
"Into the Fire" - Bryan Adams  
  
"In the End" - Linkin Park 


	2. Stratagem

Title: Forgotten - Part 2: Stratagem  
Author: Sage "Sagey" SK  
E-mail: sagesk@hotmail.com  
Date: Oct. 31, 2001  
May 2, 2002  
  
Comments: Ah! The second part of this puppy! Finals are finally over, and I'll be working at a job that doesn't require *too* much working. You can guess what I'll be tackling during that time as well. ;) ::grins::  
  
Many thanks to Kristen Sharpe. What would I do without her awesome proofreading and late night chats that have kept me company as I wrote this down? ::HUGS/Stix::  
  
Also, thanks to my readers for the feedback and awesome reviews. I do hope the second part is as successful as the first.   
  
-----------------------  
"The golden rule is to act fearlessly   
upon what one believes to be right."  
~Ghandi  
-----------------------  
  
"Amazing..." was all Professor Hackle could murmur as he found himself face to face with what was once his own creation. The Cybertron just appeared to be staring back, then turned to look at Chance once the tabby spoke up.  
  
"Um... professor... Is there any way he can... explain everything to us?" he queried.  
  
Hackle looked at the Cybertron once again, then thought about an answer for Chance's inquiry. "With the main computer connected to him, perhaps."  
  
The small robot watched them. Exactly what did they mean by 'everything'? He hoped Jake Clawson didn't mind if he *did* tell them.  
  
"Come," said Hackle to the Cybertron. "Connect yourself to the consol."  
  
The Cybertron complied, Chance watching him as he did so. Once the process had begun, Hackle took a seat.  
  
"So, start, Cybertron. What has been happening?"  
  
Being a computer, the Cybertron finally told them everything. He scrolled down a complete log of his conversations with Jake Clawson on screen. And, it was only in words. Nothing to indicate Jake's tone or mood.  
  
"Holy... Kats..." Chance whispered, stepping up to the computer to read through the log. The Cybertron stood by him, watching him curiously. Then, for some reason, he found himself fixed on Chance, those shiny eye-like optics never leaving the tabby.  
  
Feeling himself watched, Chance turned to look at the robot, arched a brow, then let a small smile curl around his face when it turned away. Inquistive, he squat down to its level, leaving Professor Hackle to read the rest of the scroll.  
  
"You want to tell me something, don't you?" Chance queried, looking into the Cybertron's "eyes" as he did.  
  
The Cybertron watched him, as though processing something fairly important before it replied.  
  
"Well?"  
  
Finally, upon connecting to the Glovatrix once again, the Cybertron had but merely one word appear on the taller kat's Glovatrix display. "Chance......"  
  
Chance blinked, then gave out a short laugh. "Yeah... that's me. Works better than 'ChanceFurlong'..."  
  
"It's me... Buddy...." came the next display of words. The grin on Chance's face abruptly disappeared, his green eyes flying wide. Oh, he recognized those words. He recognized it any day... even after five years.  
  
"J... Ja... Jake?!"  
  
A slight pause, then another solitary word scrolled onto the display. "Yes..."  
  
Without hesitation, Chance grabbed the Cybertron by the shoulders. "Jake!"  
  
His heart was beating restlessly against his ribcage, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. A new revelation. Jake *was* there. Maybe not in flesh and blood, but it *was* Jake. And, he was doing the impossible to contact him.  
  
Curious, Professor Hackle turned his attention on Chance.  
  
"Chance! L... listen to me... I can't.... Can't... do this for long..."  
  
Chance was puzzled. Surely Jake could keep this up... couldn't he?! "What... What's going on?!"  
  
"I have a neural link to Cybertron... I can communicate through him... even see through him..."  
  
If Jake was able to see through the Cybertron, then he could see the obvious wetness surrounding the corners of his best friend's eyes.  
  
"Jake..." Chance began, then cut it off. Now was not the time for sentimentalism. "Why... How... No. I gotta get you outta there! Let me find you. Where are you?!" Now was a perfect time as any to strike.  
  
But, Jake had other plans.  
  
"Chance.... don't get yourself killed....."  
  
What was this?! A warning?! *Jake* was *warning* him?! How dare he?!  
  
"Don't you DARE tell me that!" Chance screamed. "NOT NOW! NOT after FIVE years!"  
  
"Chance... I can't hold this..... It'll find out...."  
  
Why, Jake? Why couldn't he just get to the point, the tabby mentally cried. He wanted directions, he wanted a way inside to rescue his best friend. Not a lecture.  
  
"What? What will find out?!"  
  
The game of twenty questions was starting to irritate Chance.  
  
"The programming... The chip...."  
  
"I'm getting you outta there..." Chance growled.  
  
"Be careful..." Jake was obviously fading. "And, maybe we can talk later... Buddy..."  
  
"Jake, wait!"  
  
"Take care...." And, the Cybertron slumped. Jake had left as if though their conversation had merely been long distance. As if they hadn't spoken since college and Jake had so happened to look up Chance's number and called just to say 'hello.'  
  
Chance was in hysterics. "Jake!" He shook the Cybertron. "JAKE!" His voice was cracking, green eyes wide, tears falling. "JAKE!"  
  
The robot let itself be shook, sending a message.  
  
"I am sorry, ChanceFurlong...."  
  
Shakily, Chance let it go. Teeth gritted, he stood up. Fists shaking, he paced around the room, ears flat against his skull. Suddenly, letting out a cry of rage, he knocked off various old gadgets from a working table nearby, slumped into the wall and slid down to the floor.  
  
Professor Hackle watched him sadly, letting Chance curl himself up in his own misery, crying uncontrollably. He let him be for a while, looking at the Cybertron, wondering what was it that was going on in the mind of Jake Clawson. Why wasn't he letting his best friend come to his aid?  
  
"Chance...?" he asked after a while, going over to the tabby.  
  
Chance remained crying, silently, but let his ears perk to hear Hackle. Looking up, he saw the professor bending by him.  
  
"Come, my boy... Why don't you go upstairs and rest?"  
  
The taller kat looked up towards the ceiling, tears falling, green eyes bright and painful. "I dunno if I can now..."  
  
"Why not?" Hackle insisted. "This is a good sign! Jake is still very much himself in some way and has managed after all these years to contact you."  
  
"He doesn't want me to help him...."  
  
"He doesn't want you harmed," Hackle corrected. "But, I'm sure he does long to be free."  
  
Chance sighed heavily, finally standing up. "Maybe... I do need some rest..."  
  
Hackle watched him worriedly, then watched as the Cybertron curiously followed Chance as he headed upstairs. However, it didn't get far once Chance turned to it.  
  
"Please, Cybertron... Don't follow for now..."  
  
The robot paused, giving out a mournful type of beep. But, it appeared to be more cheerful once Chance managed a smile.  
  
"Thanks for everything." Chance then turned to Hackle. "I'll be back down inna few hours..."  
  
With that, all Hackle could manage as he watched Chance retreat was a simple, "Alright."  
  
-------------------------------  
  
It was the usual swill tonight. Nothing to write home about... that is, *if* there was a home.  
  
He was once an Enforcer lieutenant, proud of his occupation, proud of being in the skies with his squadron. There was that longing to be amongst the clouds once again. But those days were long gone. He was grounded now... and had been for more than four years. He was grounded in a labor camp... one of the few the Metallikats had built in order to have their robotic counterparts built. He was told this had once been the Enforcer Salvage Yard. Acres of old cars and jet parts stretched for miles. Pools of oil and rusted tools dotted the ground, and lines and lines of recently washed laundry were laid out to dry. Hadn't this once been the infamous hideout of the SWAT Kats? Of course, the once underground hangar *was* where the workers slept.  
  
He distantly felt another kat sit beside him, giving out a tired sigh as he did. The former enforcer had to smile at least a bit. Work camp was always exhausting, and even a small break helped every now and then. Then, he looked up to see the 'other kat', finding that it was none other than the kat he respected most.  
  
Commander Ulysses Feral didn't look much beyond disgruntled. His once prideful and lively figure had been stripped off with premature aging. Bits of gray hair were showing on his massive chin, which had once been clean shaven to represent him as a figure of authority.  
  
The younger kat watched him, curious, wondering how his commander was holding. Even here, Feral was still the commander and their superior, and they treated him as such.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
Feral merely looked up towards the skies.  
  
"No moon tonight..." he stated matter-of-factly.  
  
The younger kat's ears pricked forward.  
  
It was a signal.  
  
A double meaning.  
  
The cover of greater darkness had come at last, and the words they'd all been waiting to hear. Feral stood up. "Beginning operation in fifteen minutes."  
  
The younger kat nodded, set aside his bowl and walked towards his position as Commander Feral made his way towards another area of the camp.  
  
Feral pondered his options. This was the only opportunity they had and they could *not* ruin this operation. Walking into the empty building in the center of the yard, he looked at the only other kat in the empty hallway, monitored only by cameras. He cleared his throat loud enough in order to catch her attention. The once Lieutenant Felina Feral looked up from her mopping, watching her uncle make a slight motion skywards. She understood and gave him an assertive nod. Feral returned the nod and walked back out.  
  
This was it.  
  
Walking to another area of the yard, he gave out a slight whistle. The Megakat Anthem. It had to do.  
  
The others caught the signal, scrambling in no time to pre-arranged positions.  
  
Feral reached under the hood of a car and took out a basic Enforcer blaster, watching as his men did their own duty.  
  
One slid a blaster from the dirty clothes he was washing.  
  
Another slipped out a blaster from the back seat of a beaten up vehicle.  
  
This was it. Their moment had arrived. It was time to get out of this pit from the bottom realm and seek their freedom.  
  
The camp guard, a kat himself, one that had been promised his life as well as monetary value in exchange for loyalty, never saw the blast coming towards him. In fact, it came so sudden that he'd passed out without a sign of shock. The Enforcer that'd blasted him had started the fight. The first gun shot. The battle had begun.  
  
"MOVE!" was the only word Feral screamed out that night, running into the work camp and blasting into the opposition. Some kats joined to fire at the guards in cover fire, others bolting for the perimeter fence, taking innocents with them.  
  
At that point, Feral turned to look for Felina. Surely his niece was among those yearning for freedom.  
  
The ebony haired she-kat was there, alright, heading towards the fence, herding along a couple of kittens that stuggled to keep up with the others. There was no time. Quickly, he ran to scoop up one of the kittens, holding him close. Felina nodded to her Uncle, taking the other kitten in her arms and made a run for it.  
  
Feral followed, firing behind him towards the incoming guards as Felina dove through the hole the others had made. He checked to see if anybody else remained as the last group ran out. Only guards rushed forward. Any kats that didn't want to be involved had long since hidden. He gave it no further thought. Firing a few more shots, he ran out the fence and hurried on, out of the spotlights' range and into the nighttime swamps beyond.  
  
-------------------------------  
  
"It's the end of the line... *partner*!"  
  
Chance looked behind him, eyes huge, staring back at the kat that'd been chasing him to the dead end he found himself in. His pursuer was standing at the end of the impossibly long, dark metal hallway, eyes glowing red.  
  
"Jake, wait!" he pleaded.  
  
The smaller kat's eyes were narrowed. Some kind of bladed weapon was noticeable on one arm, a gun mounted on the other. Not one trace of fur or flesh remained save for Jake's face. He'd become a full machine.  
  
"Wait?" he taunted. "Well, I suppose I should savor this... After all these years..."  
  
"What're you talking about?!" Chance demanded, arms spread out.  
  
"The five years I've hunted you... You. The very last obstacle in my path."  
  
"Obstacle?!" Chance couldn't help but let the growl welding up in his throat emit through his clenched teeth. "I've been trying to get you OUT of here for the past five years!"  
  
"But, I don't want out."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Jake's features turned into a crazed look. "It's my destiny to conquer this city!"  
  
Destiny?! What did destiny have to do with this?! Neither he or Chance believed in fate!  
  
Ever!  
  
"You were *never* powerhungry!" Chance cried. "Your biggest fear was hurting people, for the love of Mike! Think of all the people you've hurt during these five years of terror! Doesn't that *mean* anything?!"  
  
The words appeared to have hit Jake like a stray bullet. Instantly, he visibly quivered. Faintly, but it was a shudder nonetheless.  
  
"This is... This is my duty!" he stammered.  
  
"Your duty is to protect the innocent!" Chance shot back.  
  
"NO!" The smaller kat screamed, covering his ears. Unaccountably, he had hands again. No weapons in sight.  
  
Chance paused, eyes wide, yet quizzical. Could it be...?  
  
"Your duty is to free the city from evil!" he insisted towards Jake, taking a step towards the orange kat.  
  
"NO!" Jake screamed. "There is no evil! It's... It's right! It's all right!"  
  
"It's wrong! And, you know it!"  
  
Jake collapsed to his knees at Chance's persistance. His hands never broke free from his ears, as though creating a wall. As though protecting Jake from the harsh words that Chance Furlong used in order to prevent him from reaching his goal of conquest.  
  
"NO!!!!" He curled up into a ball, shaking. "No..." His words turned into sobs. Was this true? Was what he'd strived so hard to obtain so wrong? He tried to put two and two together. Why was it so wrong to dominate? Distantly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. And, it made him quiver even more.  
  
"Jake... It's over, Buddy." The voice of Chance Furlong was soft, concerned, caring. "Lemme get you outta here..."  
  
"Chaaaaance..." Jake whimpered.  
  
"C'mon... let's help you up..."  
  
The smaller kat let himself be helped up, legs wobbly. "Chance..." He looked at his friend, their eyes meeting, his own no longer red. They were their usual soft and amber color.  
  
Gently, Chance held him by the shoulders. "Are you...?"  
  
Jake's face was pained. "The chip's trying to take over again... Chance..."  
  
"We'll take you to Hackle's to remove it. Just hang on, Buddy. I'm here... I gotcha."  
  
"Alright." Tiredly, Jake leaned into his best friend, holding on for support.  
  
Chance smiled. At least Jake seemed to be regaining recognition of who he was before. All they had to do was get out of this metal fortress and back at Hackle's. It wouldn't take long, Chance figured.  
  
"C'mon. Let's go before..."  
  
He abruptly paused, looking up, eyes large as Enforcer SWAT team snipers dropped in from every direction. Enforcers?! How?! How did they infiltrate Metallikat Headquarters?! When did they do it?!  
  
"There he is!" one of the snipers yelled to his comrades, laser rifle raised to take aim at Jake.  
  
Chance felt his blood run cold, his fears taking a toll over reality. No... NO!  
  
"NO! Don't do it!" he screamed, rushing out to stop the sniper. "He's trying to...!"  
  
He was unable to finish his sentence as the targeting laser came to bear on Jake's chest. Ignoring Chance's pleas, the sniper merely followed what he'd been ordered to do.  
  
He fired.  
  
  
--------------------------------  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Chance's screamed echoed across the room, the frightening images of the laser forever burned in his mind. He woke up, panting, crying, eyes looking out and around until he realized where he was. He didn't figure it out, however, until the Cybertron came up to his bed side, beeping softly. It'd followed him despite Chance's earlier orders.  
  
The tabby looked to a side, catching sight of the robot, and then buried his face into his hands. "Crud..."  
  
The Cybertron beeped again, softly, trying to give out the facsimile of a worried tone.  
  
"I'm... okay..." Chance murmured, feeling a robotic hand on his nearest arm. He sighed heavily. "I've gotta get him out."  
  
Another worried trill came from the Cybertron, eyeing Chance curiously. Surely he wasn't planning on going out there again?  
  
"I'm sorry, Cybertron. The Enforcers are gonna shoot 'im on site if I don't go."  
  
Chance Furlong was serious. Moving around so he'd be in Chance's view, the Cybertron made a mock sort of salute while uttering a determined beep. He was going, too.  
  
Chance chuckled. "I can't talk you out of it, can I?" He sighed as the Cybertron shook its head. "Alright..."  
  
The robot connected itself to Chance's Glovatrix while it still remained on the table by the bed. "I can help you get in... And, JakeClawson may contact me again..."  
  
"Alright... But... I gotta get in without getting caught..."  
  
"I could provide a distraction..."  
  
"A distraction?"  
  
The Cybertron nodded. "I could re-wire some of the systems...."  
  
Chance pondered his options. "Can you give me a map of the area?"  
  
Complying, a map appeared on the display. Now, if the Cybertron had ever witnessed what the non-metallic life-forms called a "conniption," then that was probably what he would have called Chance Furlong's reaction to the grid. Never had it seen anybody overreact to something like that... not even Jake Clawson when he was in one of his bitterest moods.  
  
"THAT PLACE IS HUGE!" Chance squacked.  
  
"And, it is well fortified..." added the robot.  
  
"Great..." Sighing, Chance sat on the bed again, thinking. After some dwelling, he turned to the Cybertron again. "Can they detect life forms?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Can they detect life forms... within metal?"  
  
The Cybertron scanned this option for a minute. "If it were properly insulated, the scanners might be confused... The machines used generate an equal amount of heat to that produced by a kat's body, so they are unable to scan by heat." It paused, catching the gleam in Chance's eyes. "You mean to disguise yourself?"  
  
"It's the only idea I have."  
  
The Cybertron nodded assent. "But, it is currently 3:34 a.m. It is your recharge cycle."  
  
Chance had to chuckle at that. Recharge cycle indeed. It'd be 5:00 a.m. and he'd still be out that door in the blink of an eye. "I can't waste anymore time. Five years is enough." Yes, five years had been enough. Now that Chance knew a way in, nothing could stand in his way. Not even sleep.  
  
"Your recharge cycle is important to proper functioning... and moreso for my creator," the Cybertron insisted, somehow hoping that they hadn't woken up Professor Hackle all this time. "My creator should not be awakened at this hour... His systems are aging and require additional time to properly recharge...."  
  
"We're going now."  
  
"You do not have your disguise... Both you and my creator need to rest."  
  
"I've gotten enough rest." Chance stood up. The old feeling of adrenaline was pumping through his veins once again. "C'mon..." He made his way out the door after putting on his Glovatrix.  
  
The Cybertron gave out a noisy sigh and followed.  
  
----------------------------------  
  
It had once been a city of prosperity, its citizens living life as they always did. Nothing was unusual in MegaKat City. Business increased annually. But, so did the attacks.   
  
Monsters.  
  
Sorcerors.  
  
Mutations.   
  
Bombings.   
  
And, it was nothing new to Commander Feral. He'd watched the city grow. And, he'd watched the increment of crime as well. Psychos that were out to conquer the city and bring it to its knees with no remorse.   
  
He'd done what he could to protect his city. He really had. But, even his Enforcers were unable to stop the robots. Even those annoying SWAT Kats had been welcomed to help at any time. But, he'd heard that one of them had joined forces with the wrong side. Why? He didn't know. And, the other SWAT Kat had barely kept his ground until the Turbokat had been destroyed.  
  
What *had* happened to Furlong? He'd managed to catch him without his mask when the robots attacked, but never saw him again once he and his Enforcers had been imprisoned.   
  
Probably sent to another work camp.   
  
He sighed. Five years had worn the commander out. Now, standing among the swamps to watch the city lights, he wanted to gain his pride *and* his city back.   
  
"We have fifty of our men and over half that many weapons."  
  
Feral perked his ears upon hearing Felina's report and nodded. "What about the others?"  
  
"Roughly thirty."  
  
"Casualties?"  
  
"Some burns, nothing severe." Felina smiled a bit at that. At least they made it out without a single loss.   
  
"Good," said Feral. "We'll gain some strength and then attack."  
  
Felina nodded, making her way to stand beside her commander and father figure, looking out towards the city lights with him.  
  
"Do you think we have a chance, Uncle?" she asked stiffly, her face set, determined.   
  
Feral only sighed heavily once again, his eyes never leaving MegaKat City.   
  
"I can't guarantee a victory, Felina... But we're the only hope left."  
  
----------------------------------  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
The Cybertron rolled behind the Chance across the lab, the tabby's metal feet clattering about the linoleum floor. It eyed his "disguise," thinking that they *should* have woken Hackle or they'd both be toast.  
  
"I believe we need assistance...," it admitted.  
  
Chance let his ears droop. "Lousy, huh?"  
  
The Cybertron merely shrugged.  
  
"What gave it away?"  
  
"You do not resemble any of the machines that service the main citadel.... And, your tail is protruding."  
  
Chance sighed, giving the robot a mock sneer and a raspberry, only to be returned with a recorded sound of the same thing.  
  
"Copy-bot..."  
  
"What is all this noise?" Professor Hackle came shuffling in, half asleep, his tail dragging noiselessly across the floor. Pausing, he looked at Chance.  
  
The tabby looked up from his intellectual conversation with the Cybertron and towards the professor. "Um..." He then looked at his "attire," and watched it as it slowly fell apart, bit by bit, wincing as every piece of metal fell to the floor in a clatter.  
  
At that, all Hackle could do was arch a brow.  
  
"Perhaps if you started at the beginning?"  
  
--------------------  
  
If it had ever been given the ability to laugh, the Cybertron would have. Unfortunately, all it could do was just comment on Chance's new disguise, even it did look absurd on a non-metallic life form.   
  
"This is much more effective."  
  
"I can't breath..." Chance complained, trying to find an air hole somewhere. "It's stuffy." His voice was muffled, almost metallic in a way.   
  
"There should be suffcient airways," Hackle stated, then circled the suit and looked for any obvious mistakes. "Can you walk?"  
  
'Can I walk, he asks,' Chance mumbled thoughtfully. 'I have enough trouble trying to move and see in this thing.' He complied, taking a step forward. However, no sooner did he think he'd gotten the hang of it than he fell back. Arms waving violently, he landed on the tiled floor with a heavy clang. "Ow."  
  
"I see we need a bit more of work..." Hackle went to work on the knee joints, the Cybertron leaning over Chance to help him sit up.   
  
"I can't feel my back..."  
  
The robot gave him a sympathetic sound, waiting for more instructions.   
  
"Cybertron, perhaps you should fetch something for Chance...," said Hackle.  
  
"A can opener would be nice..."  
  
The Cybertron gave Chance the facsimilie of a glare, a beeping sound saying that it wasn't amused.   
  
"No offense!" Chance said quickly, breathing a sigh of relief as a pleased beep indicated that he'd been forgiven.   
  
"The knee joints should function better now." Hackle and the Cybertron helped Chance up, the smaller robot giving Chance better support from behind to prevent him from falling again.   
  
After much practice, Chance discovered he could walk normally, Hackle watching nearby and mentally debating modifications. Upon this task, all Chance could do was wonder. If he was able to walk in this metallic contraption, how good would he be running and attacking?  
  
He didn't bother to think it twice. Moving his arms about with more ease, he attempted a backflip, a roll and a somersault.   
  
Landing, a single word escaped his metallic-like lips. "YES!"   
  
Beside him, the Cybertron trilled happily. Chance was ready.   
  
"I'm ready, Doc!"  
  
"One moment." Hackle stepped over to him, pressing a button on the arm. Chance's Glovatrix folded out upon command. "Here are your main weapons. It works the same way as usual. Your other arm will display your tri-dimensional generator. And, I've patched a text program with a link to Cybertron into your helmet. His words should appear just to the left of your field of vision."  
  
Chance grinned. "You're a miracle worker, doc."  
  
Hackle returned a small smile, glad that he could help. Deep down, he still felt that he'd been the cause for half of it - MegaKat City's fall, Jake Clawson's "treason" to his fellow kats.... everything since his creation of the Metallikats. And, if he'd only had but one dying wish, it was to be forgiven for all his past mistakes.   
  
"I'll bring Jake back. That's a promise," Chance said, as though reading the old kat's mind. Laying a hand on his shoulder, he looked into his friend's eyes. "Thank you... for everything."  
  
"Good luck, my boy," Hackle returned.   
  
Chance grinned, then motioned to the Cybertron. "C'mon... they'll be waking up inna couple hours."  
  
With that, the small robot... and the facsimile of a robot, were out the door.   
  
-----------------------  
  
"And, you're certain that Commander Feral and many other prisoners managed to escape?"  
  
"Yes, Ma'am." The guard took in a deep breath. "I believe that they've managed to run into the MegaKat Swamps..."  
  
His party nodded on the other end of the line. "Thank you. Notify me of anymore news."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
  
Upon hanging up, the party turned to her advisors. "It's time. I suggest we attack now. Any opinions otherwise?"  
  
No negative statements came from the table.   
  
"Then it's settled. We strike tonight."  
  
-----------------------  
  
It was funny how he never complained about the padded table... or how uncomfortable it was if he really cared. But, there was no bed for him. He was now a machine... or half of one anyway.   
  
"Rise and shine, partner!"  
  
Jake grumbled internally, slitting an eye open at the voice. Never in his life did he *hate* the sound of that sentence, much less that last word in it. The word "partner" brought back bad memories... memories of what his life used to be... the life he wanted to have once again. But, these were abruptly erased as the microchip took over once again.   
  
"Don' wanna oversleep, do yas?" asked Molly Mange, standing beside her husband as they watched Jake.   
  
"Whyever would I want sleep?" Jake sardonically asked as he sat up.   
  
"Whatevah," returned Molly.   
  
"There's rumors of a work camp raid that occurred last night..." Mac added.   
  
"Rumors?!" Jake arched a brow. "And, you don't know for sure by now?"  
  
"They's true. That clown Feral escaped."  
  
Jake's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Have you already dispatched units?"  
  
"They were dispatched overnight while you were dozing," Mac stated, an accusing tone almost noticeable in his metallic voice.   
  
Jake only gave them a mean look, nodding at their words. "Sounds like my agenda is catching the Enforcers you lost..." he returned in the same tone. He moved to his computer access terminal.   
  
"Then have fun. Molly an' I have a few work camps to attend to."  
  
"Right..." Jake got his systems up and running, looking at the readouts as they left. Personally, he thought they didn't do anything around their headquarters other than gloat about their conquest of MegaKat City. Bah. Sometimes just the sight of those two bucketbutts disgusted him... particularly their constant bickering and idiocy. How he put up with it, he didn't know. But, all that would soon change. Very soon.  
  
--------------------------  
  
"It's time."   
  
The once Enforcers and various volunteers looked at Feral as he stood up, watching him expectantly as he readied his blaster. Their time had come. Some willing, others almost hesitantly, stood up with him.   
  
"I can't guarantee we're on the path to victory... and I'm not going to stand up and do the 'Uncle Tom' speech. We're the only hope for MegaKat City now. Those who feel they're in the need to back out, do so now."  
  
No signs of backing out came. No one dared to challenge him. To tell him that their small band of Enforcers and volunteers couldn't take out an entire city of renegade robots. Now was the time to reclaim their beloved city, and their lives once again.   
  
"Then I put my faith in you. Accepted in the past or not, you are all Enforcers now."  
  
The kats saluted, some better than others. Feral could only give them an unusual smile, but he sobered in a heartbeat.   
  
"You have your orders. Move out!"  
  
--------------------------  
  
To Be Continued  
  
Inspirational Music:  
  
"Lost Souls" - AFI  
  
"Sacrifice Theory" - AFI  
  
"Fall Children" - AFI  
  
"Paint it Black" - GOB  
  
"In the Heat of the Night" - Bryan Adams  
  
"Only the Strong Survive" - Bryan Adams  
  
"Living on a Prayer" - Bon Jovi  
  
"Wanted Dead or Alive" - Bon Jovi 


	3. Infiltration

Title: Forgotten: Part 3 - Infiltration  
Author: Sage "Sagey" SK  
E-mail: sagesk@fyresight.com  
Date Started: October 31, 2001  
Date Finished: February 28, 2003  
Final Revision: February 28, 2003  
Warnings: PG for cartoon violence, and minor scenes of drama and angst  
  
Summary: The dawn approaches as a group of survivors ready a fight for their homeland. And, the dawn is near as a former SWAT Kat runs to attempt rescuing he whom he lost five long years back.   
  
Comments: The finale of "Forgotten!" Wow... took me a while to compell myself into finishing this one. Now, I've got to kick myself into starting/finishing any other fics I have in my list. Ah, if only it were that simple. Oh well.   
  
Once again, my thanks to Kristen Sharpe for the proofreading and constant check-up on this story... and for just putting up with me. ;D  
  
Addenums to other readers:   
  
Helion - thanks for your awesome comments in FF.N. Your question over the "scientist" that inserted the microchip into Jake's mind will hopefully be answered here. I don't know if it provides a well enough explanation, but you'll have to see for yourself. ;)   
  
Jennifer Munoz - Thank you so much for the great songfic you wrote for my second chapter. I do hope this installation gives you the same good read that your fic gave to me. I really enjoyed it!   
  
Dawameren I. - Thanks for putting up with the constant fics I toss at you via e-mail... and for putting up with my hairbrained ideas.   
  
Skybright Daye - Okay! Okay!!! I finished it! Take your cardiologist back!! He's scaring me! XD  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
"I had enough of crying,   
bleeding, sweating, dying...  
Hear me when I say   
I'm gonna live my life...   
everyday."  
~Bon Jovi, 'Everyday'  
  
---------------------------  
  
"Don't mock me," were the first words that escaped Chance's metallic lips once he and the Cybertron walked towards the main city compound. The Cybertron, in fact, didn't say a word, but it did think that Mr. Wanna-Be-A-Bot was taking this whole issue on being metallic a little too far. For one, Chance's incestant "beeps" and "cling-clangs" were getting irritating. Amusing, but irritating.   
  
"I was not," it returned via the display screen on Chance's left eye. "I was merely thinking that you act better as a non-metallic lifeform."  
  
"I can feel you are."  
  
"I am not." The Cybertron paused, giving Chance that look again, the very look that he gave the tabby when he'd spoken to Jake for the first time back at Hackle's.   
  
Chance, however, didn't recognize it. "What is it?"  
  
"Chance.....?"  
  
Beneath his metallic guise, the tabby froze. "Jake?" Once again, his heartbeat increased, as well as his breathing.   
  
"Yes... I'm a bit fuzzy..." Jake's sentences appeared to be forced. "My other half is rather agitated..."  
  
"Agitated? Why?"  
  
"Some of the Enforcers have escaped."  
  
Chance nearly collapsed, recalling his nightmare from the previous night. "WH.... WHAT?!"  
  
"Feral and fifty of his men escaped the work camp.... I dunno. Maybe they can help you..." Jake was obviously not thinking of any danger to himself.   
  
"NO!" Chance cried. "I can't do that!"  
  
There was a short pause, a series of periods, question and exclamation marks indicating Jake's surprise at his friend's outburst. "Chance... What is it?"  
  
"Y... You don't understand!" Chance shouted. "They're gonna kill you! I just know it!"  
  
"I...." The robot slumped a bit after that, silent.   
  
This act did not amuse Chance in the very least. "Jake...??" he tried, half afraid that his friend had logged off.   
  
"I... have to go... Be careful, Chance..."  
  
"Jake! No, wait!" Once again, the tall kat grabbed the Cybertron by the shoulders.   
  
"It could find me, Chance..."  
  
"You've gotta lead me to where you are!" No. Not again. Jake was NOT leaving without giving him a clue of some sort. Not when he'd gotten this far.   
  
"I'll... I'll download a map into Cybertron. Take care, buddy..." At that, he was gone.   
  
"Jake!" Chance swung around to punch a metallic fist against the nearest wall. "Crud! He's gotta stop doing that!"  
  
The Cybertron beeped an affirmative, then sent Chance the map, asking, "What now?"  
  
"What's the map say?"  
  
"We'll need to access... through the sewars."  
  
"The sewars?!" Chance exclaimed. "We'll rust!"   
  
"We are both well-insulated."  
  
The tabby sighed. "Alright..."  
  
"You'll have to carry me down though...."  
  
"Geez... Pushy, aren't we?" But, Chance nodded all the same. "Okay."  
  
---------------------  
  
Feral was growing impatient. It had been hours since he'd sent his recons teams to the city. He waited within the swamps, each second muttering a silent prayer for an answer.  
  
"Uncle!"  
  
Feral looked up quickly to see his niece running towards him, face worried. No. They couldn't have fallen already. They'd barely set up the strategy.   
  
"We found the source."  
  
At that, Feral's face lost a hair of its grim look.   
  
"Tell me."  
  
---------------------  
  
"I am aware that sewars are considered odious... Though I can't smell...   
You really don't have to keep describing the aroma..."  
  
Chance ignored Cybertron's complaints as it rolled beside him on the ledge of the sewage system, located in the very interior of Metallikat Headquarters. "I have every right to. I have the nostrils."  
  
The robot made a squawking, offended beep in return.   
  
Geez! Did that robot get offended by anything non-metallic?!   
  
"Alright! I take it back!"  
  
The Cybertron paused, making the map appear on Chance's wrist display.   
  
Chance forced his gaze towards the direction the map was pointing. "Up... there?"  
  
"A maintenance access for the main headquarters...." Cybertron explained, and before adding anything else to its statement, shot a grappling hook upwards.   
  
"Great...." Chance continued grumbling as he shot a grappling hook after the Cybertron in order to pull him upwards. Upon being pulled a good few feet upwards, he dared a peek below, the sewars now barely visible below them. "That's.... a long way up..."   
  
He watched the Cybertron prying the access hatch open. Height obviously was the least of the Cybertron's concerns. Granted, being thrown off a building had that effect.*   
  
"How far are we?" Chance asked.   
  
"JakeClawson is on the fortieth floor."  
  
"We're on the EIGHTH!" the tabby cried. "This'll take us all night!"  
  
"We will get there," the Cybertron replied nonchalantly.  
  
Chance could only sigh.  
  
--------------------  
  
Jake was perplexed.   
  
"I know I'm missing something... Something important." He mused as he checked his systems. There was just.... Something was there! There had to be! Why was it bothering him so?!  
  
"They're onto us!"  
  
His thoughts were cut off as Mac stormed inside. Spinning around in his swivel chair, Jake faced the Metallikat.   
  
"Who?!" he demanded.   
  
"Those rebels!" Molly broke off her husband's incoherent ranting. "Robot units spotted them nearby!"  
  
Once again, Jake checked his systems. The chip was in dangerously close to overloading as he realized what it was he was seeing. "Rebels nothing! It's Feral."  
  
"FERAL?!" Mac repeated, flabbergasted. How...? How had the Enforcers made it this far?  
  
"The Feral that escaped from the work camp...." Jake retorted, in a tone that obviously indicated that he was surrounded by idiots.   
  
"I KNOW WHICH ONE! YOU were supposed to CATCH HIM!!"   
  
Jake snarled in return. "Don't PUSH me, Bucketbutt! I've been working all night!""  
  
"Shaddap da' both o' yas!" Molly interrupted. "Those Enforcers outta be here any minute! Send out more Metallikat Units!"  
  
"They're on their way," Jake said, turning his chair back to his consol. "And, it *will* work."  
  
Mac growled. "Just in case, we's gonna go out there ourselves."  
  
As the robots left, Jake once again held his head. Why? Why was it hurting so much? "This is my fault," he murmured. "I was supposed to be finding Feral last night... Only I was... I... I don't know what I was doing!"  
  
What was going on? Was he going crazy? What was the chip doing? What. Was. Going. On?!  
  
--------------------  
  
"Thirty... nine... floors."  
  
The words were forced out in a series of gasps and pants as Chance reached the near top of the main pipeline. "Not even when I was a SWAT Kat did we have to climb like this."  
  
"It's only one more," the Cybertron returned.   
  
"Yeah. You have no worries. You're not the feline carrying over ten pounds of metal on his body."  
  
"Must I remind you that it was your idea to disguise yourself, ChanceFurlong?"  
  
Chance sighed. "No. I c'n make it... Are there any obstacles?"  
  
"Nothing yet."  
  
"Great." Upon reaching the fortieth floor, he aimed his Glovatrix and fired the ice beam as the Cybertron indicated the opening it'd found.   
  
Shoving in the now frozen entrance, the Cyberton hefted itself through and then detached its cable, waiting for the disguised robotic kat to land beside it.   
  
"I shoulda had this thing a long time ago," Chance muttered. Once again, the map was brought up on his display, the Cybertron indicating the command center... in the very heart of the building.   
  
Chance didn't waste any time. He ran in that direction as the Cybertron followed after, looking for defenses.  
  
------------------------   
  
The systems abruptly alerted Jake to an irregularly moving object.   
  
"Huh." He curiously brought it up on screen. For some reason, he didn't know if he was supposed to be surprised, or even shocked. But, all he did was remain staring at the figure. Letting a faint smile curl around his lips, Jake simply leaned back against his chair.   
  
"He made it."  
  
Then came the everlasting pain. A pain so similar to that of a head-splitting migrane. Screaming, he grabbed his head.   
  
The chip had just figured out what he'd been up to all this time.   
  
------------------------  
  
They were in hiding, waiting for the precise moment to strike... to hit the robots when they were their most vulnerable.  
  
The rebels knew that they were outnumbered. They knew that their weapons were unable to destroy the robots. They hid in their reserved areas until Feral gave his signal. Timing had been critical, and there was no room to make any mistakes. However, Feral *had* given the order to improvise *and* fire at will, so the outcome was unpredicatable.   
  
Taking in a deep breath, the once Enforcer commander stepped out into the clearing, blaster in hand, not ready to surrender. With a glare that clearly matched his last name, Feral stood at attention.   
  
"Mac and Molly Mange, I suggest you surrender at once. You're under arrest."  
  
Of course, he did expect them to laugh at his attrocious statement, but continued regardless.   
  
"You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. If you can't afford an attorney, you will be provided with what little we have left. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." He took in a deep breath. "Do you understand these rights?"  
  
Behind him, Enforcers and volunteers held their weapons at ready. The time was near.   
  
Molly processed everything the taller kat had said. It was clearly *the* most ridiculous thing she'd heard the non-metallic say in the past five years, and her husband couldn't agree more.   
  
"Looks like th' swamp watah got to his head, Mac."  
  
"Yer no longer in control, Commandah," proclaimed Mac, taking a step forward. "You're no longer in command. *We* are. You can't arrest us."  
  
The commander smirked.   
  
"You still have the right to remain silent..."  
  
The clicking sound of a single gun mixed itself with the swamp's cricket chirps. One coming from the upper area of the trees. Where a once Enforcer sureshot lieutenant aimed carefully at the two renegade machines, her ears perked for her Uncle's signal.   
  
"...and I suggest you exercise it."  
  
She fired, the flash of the neural neutralizer encompassing the two robots.   
  
Abruptly, a flash of flood lights surrounded the clearing, blinding nearly everything to the naked eye, enough to startle the remaining army of robots present as their leaders fell to the ground.   
  
"FIRE AT WILL!"  
  
Feral's order was carried out immediately. With a scream of both adrenaline and hatred, the precious few of what was left of MegaKat City's defense force ran into the clearing, guns-a-blazing as they fired with everything they had towards the robots. They were taking their beloved homeland back, and there was no turning back.   
  
------------------------   
  
The swamp had obviously been the only area that the Metallikats hadn't bothered searching all these years. But, that was exactly where they'd found the rebels. And, they took no time in attempting to bring the brigade of nonmetallic outlaws to their knees. But, with the resistance that the former prisoners were showing, this task wasn't going to be carried out as easily as their robot minds had surmised.   
  
And, he watched the battle from the tallest and darkest tree he could find. Weak, hungry, he didn't dare to move from his spot, curled up in a cowardly and tight ball of fur and skin.  
  
His florescent yellow eyes narrowed, his tail twitching. He wasn't exactly rooting for either side to win. But, deep down, he did hope that the Enforcers would be the last ones standing. After all, this city was theirs, right? The city belonged to the felines.   
  
And, he was feline himself... Wasn't he?  
  
He shook his head fiercly. *Half*-feline. Ever since the accident at MegaKat Biochemicals, his once golden yellow fur had dulled down to a nauseaous green. However, given his current condition, it may have had been a blessing. In his case anyway. A blessing, and a curse. Blessed with the ability to create life, cursed to run from those who attempted to destroy it.   
  
He sighed as the battle continued, willing the memories to leave.   
  
Memories. Memories of his alliance with Dark Kat and the Metallikats. Memories of capturing the SWAT Kat Razor the very day they'd formed the alliance. Memories of combining Dark Kat's technology along with his ability to create a creature strong enough to hold down the hollering kat as the chip was inserted. Memories of torture, pain.   
  
Memories of encountering the SWAT Kat's partner. Memories. Those green eyes narrowed into dangerous slits behind the tabby's mask. Being grabbed by the collar. Facing the larger SWAT Kat's fury.   
  
Memories of helping the smaller SWAT Kat understand his duties towards the alliance. Memories of Dark Kat's betrayal. Of the Metallikats turning in on Dark Kat before the purple monster could react. His escaping into the swamps hoping to never be seen again. Hunted down by robots as his once robotic partners wished him dead. After all, he could not ruin their ruling.   
  
So many memories now gone. Driven into the back of his mind. He perked his ears at the sudden shouts of joy and victory. At the shouts of the nonmetallic rebels.   
  
The Metallikats had fallen.   
  
It was over.   
  
Meekly, Dr. Viper slithered from his tree and crawled through his swampland. It was time to retire.  
------------------------  
  
Chance was impatient.   
  
"How long 'til the Enforcers get here?!"  
  
The Cybertron beeped vaguely. Just how would the small bot know when the Enforcers were arriving? Surely Chance Furlong knew better.   
  
Chance sighed in return. "Sorry." He looked down the hallway. "Which way now?"  
  
The smaller robot had just indicated an area just beyond the hallway, but for the first time it'd miscalculated. Beside both the robot and nonmetallic vigilante, a wall flew open.   
  
And, from within, it revealed Jake Clawson, sitting at his command center, wired up to just about everything surrounding him.   
  
"Ahh... There you are at last."  
  
Chance skid to a stop and froze, eyes mesmerized at the sight of his smaller partner, mind flashing back to the day he'd encountered Dr. Greenbox when the scientist had merged with his protocol, Zed*. And, Jake's appearance hinted the same madness that Greenbox had shown him.   
  
Once amber eyes were lost in a sea of redness, a hint of sanity within them. Jake's fur was incredibly rugged, the smaller kat thinner than what Chance had last seen him.   
  
And, his tone of voice was completely different from normal.  
  
"Yes, I know what you've been up to..." he sneered. "I finally discovered all of my other self's little schemes. Misleading my bounty hunters, botching plans... helping save your miserable hide."  
  
Chance was appalled. "Jake?"  
  
"It is the other," the Cybertron warned. "Not Jake Clawson."  
  
Jake's bloodshot eyes narrowed towards the Cybertron as Chance realized what it meant.   
  
"The chip," the tabby growled.   
  
In response to the Cybertron's obvious statement, Jake sent out a barrage of small attack drones, aiming them towards the smaller robot.   
  
"Pest."  
  
Chance fired a few rounds with his Glovatrix towards the drones, the Cybertron itself firing a few rounds with the only mini blaster it had.   
  
At the rate this was going, Jake mused, there was no way of bringing those two to their knees. So, he called for something more formidable. The smaller kat had obviously taken notes from the Zed incident.** Wired tentacles shot out at his command, grabbing onto Chance before the tabby could react.   
  
"Give it up, Furlong! You're on my turf at last!"  
  
Chance squalled in return, barely turning to see Jake's smirking face.   
  
"JAKE! WAKE UP!" he screamed. "You're not like this, buddy!"  
  
Little did either kat realize that the Cybertron, even if it was pinned under the tentacles, managed to activate his link to Jake. His last ditch programming. An extra ace up its sleeve.   
  
And, in turn, it sent a wave of memories. Flashbacks. Stories of long ago. An eruption of pain flew across Jake's head. And, the more he shook his head, the more the pain came.   
  
"You're my best friend! My partner!" The voice seemed like an echo. "You were once a SWAT Kat! Protector of MegaKat City! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!"  
  
Whimpering, Jake held his head, the voice now multiplying, echoing whispers surrounding him.   
  
"This isn't like you, Jake... You're stronger than this."  
  
Weakly, the cable finally let go of his captives. Chance freed himself of the metallic armor. Everything, that is, except the Glovatrix.   
  
"I..." Jake began, hands gripping his head tightly.   
  
"I came here to help you, Jake," Chance said, attempting to unhook the slimmer kat from his cabled restraints. In turn, the smaller kat simply ignored him, not stopping him. Reassured, Chance disconnected Jake from his weapons connections, the smaller kat slumping in some relief.   
"Jake? Can you hear me?" the tabby asked again as he removed the remaining cables.   
  
A faint mumble came back in reply.  
  
"C'mon, buddy. Let's get you outta here."  
  
"Chance...." Jake started, followed by a slight sliffle. "Metallikats... still here..."  
  
The tabby could only smile in return. "We'll evade them. And, we have Cybertron to help us."  
  
However, no sooner had Chance managed to help his partner up to his knees than Jake abruptly pulled away, snarling in pain.   
  
"My head..." He snarled again, his eyes flashing a crimson red. "I will not...fail!" Growling, he tackled Chance barehanded.  
  
The tabby squalled in surprise, trying to fight him back, desperate, trying not to hurt him. "Jake! STOP!" His partner was crazed, claws out, flailing, trying to attack. "Jake!" A loud snarl escaping Chance's throat, he pinned Jake to the floor. "SNAP OUTTA IT!!!" And, as Jake continued to struggle, he added, "Whoever you are, STOP IT! Jake is NOT your puppet!"  
  
He was starting to realize as Jake kept repeating himself. "I will... not... fail!!"  
  
The blood-red eyes. His partner's cold and revenge-thirsty attitude since the very beginning. Flashbacks flooded Chance's mind as Jake continued to struggle. The fall of MegaKat City, rumors of the backstabbing that ended up with two of her rulers dead or missing as the Metallikats in the end took control. However, Chance knew that one of the robot's targets was smarter than what they'd expected. *He* was always anticipating, waiting for the right moment to show that he'd known what his enemies were planning. Like *he* knew that it would somehow end up with *his* own purple fur skinned.   
  
That was it. The ugly truth. Chance had just realized that the chip wasn't only a device to awaken the desire for conquest within his partner's mind. It was a home. A home for an evil and misbegotten spawn of hatred. The closest to the king of the underworld that Chance had ever encountered until the Metallikats proved an even bigger obstacle. His worst enemy had taken over his best friend's mind. A fresh snarl erupted as Chance pinned Jake to the floor even harder.   
  
"I'm not letting you... DARK KAT!"  
  
"Get him out of my head!!!!!" Jake cried.   
  
"Stop it now!" Chance barked. "You're killing him! The charade's over! Get outta my friend's head!"  
  
Jake's face twisted again, the purple demon now speaking through him. "Now, that's a bit impossible when one is disembodied wouldn't you agree?"  
  
"You'r surrounded by machines!"  
  
"Bah. I don't want a machine. Besides, this is far more fun. Tormenting my hated enemies." Dark Kat cackled manically, sending a flow of anger through Chance's veins and a fresh leer appearing on his host's face. "But, I was already quite safe here before you ever thought of stopping me. Five years, Furlong. I'm amazed that with your intellect you couldn't see this coming a mile away."  
  
"Jake is *stronger* than that!" Chance retorted through teeth that were literally grinding together. And, once again, he repeated his statement, this time to capture Jake's attention. "Jake, you're stronger than that!" He watched as Jake fought for control, but even he knew that the situation had been wearing the smaller kat down for five years. And, he wasn't going to let doubt get in the way. "I know you're still in there, Jake Clawson! You better snap outta it and help me get this creep outta your head or I'm not speaking to you again!"  
  
"I...." The single worded sentence was said softly as the caramel kat fought for control again, his partner chanting words of encouragement, like a coach at a football game.   
  
"You heard that, Clawson?! FIGHT IT!!"  
  
Jake's face shifted several times, expressions changing. From pain, to anger, to hatred, to sadness. But, getting a torment such as Dark Kat out of his head was more than what he'd bargained for. He just couldn't....   
  
"CHANCE! GET IT OUT!!!!!" His voice was choked, desperately begging his friend to help him.   
  
In return, Chance couldn't think of anything else but to call the Cybertron for help.   
  
"How do I get it out?!" he demanded.   
  
The smaller robot merely "blinked." "That would require surgery, ChanceFurlong... It is embedded." Curious, it cocked its head at the distraut expression on Chance's face, then turned to Jake. Finally, in a quick move, it linked itself to the outlet of the chip and to Jake.   
  
[JakeClawson, can you not channel the chip's programming into my own?] it asked, drowning out any other noise from the outside so only Jake could hear it.   
  
[Are you nuts?!] Jake cried back, realizing what the robot was up to. [He'll take over YOU!]  
  
[I am not alive.] The robot seemed unphased. [My programming can be restored later.]  
  
A fresh scream of pain echoed through their link. [I want him GONE!]  
  
[JakeClawson... I am a machine... My primary, earliest programming was to help you. I will help you.]  
  
From the outside, Chance could only take a wild guess of what was going on. The expressions on Jake's face told everything.   
  
Once again, a soft "I..." escaped from the smaller kat, his expression now set on concentration and determination. And, the Cybertron stood nearby, waiting and ready.   
  
And, from within Jake's mind, the battle for conquest was a raging war that the caramel kat was fighting with the remnants of his strength. Dark Kat wasn't about to go down that easily. However, what with being disconnected from one of the primary sources that kept him "alive," the purple demon's strength was just as low.   
  
[Don't you dare, SWAT Kat!] he snarled in vain, as if expecting Jake to let go altogether.   
  
Jake didn't listen. [Oh, I dare... You've tormented me long enough.] A virtual punch flew out. [You turned me into a monster.] Another punch. [You made me lose everything dear to me.] A third punch. [This is my body... and my life... AND I WANT THEM BACK!] The hardest punch he could throw out staggered Dark Kat's subconscious even dangerously closer to the link between Jake and the Cybertron. And, at this point, Jake concentrated his hardest, his scream both mental and spoken. [Get out! GET OUT NOW!!!]  
  
A snarled "Nooooooo!!!!!!!" echoed as Dark Kat was sent into the link, where the Cybertron was standing ready.   
  
In a flash, the smaller robot caught the demon and shut down its program, wiping his hard drive. Then, it was silent.   
  
Everything was silent.  
  
A silence that Chance couldn't bear to take anymore. "Jake...?" he whispered.   
  
And, in return, Jake slit his eyes open, once again in their ever so familiar amber color. "It's over..." he whispered.   
  
"Over? Are you...?"  
  
"He's out...," Jake confirmed. His eyelids drooped, the smaller kat both mentally and physically exhausted.   
  
At that, Chance looked over at the Cybertron.   
  
The smaller robot was slumped over, the lights in its eyes out, no sign of running. It'd completely shut down, its memory wiped. Its last attempt to finish off Dark Kat for good. Gently, the tabby set Jake down and attempted to wake it up. "Cybertron?" Nothing. There was no chance of rebooting. It was as though the Cybertron had been consumed by the deadliest virus it'd ever encountered, both winning and losing the battle. He sighed, his ears drooped, laying a hand on the smaller robot's shoulder. [Thank you, Cybertron... You were a big help. And, I'm so sorry... You risked everything for us... Sure hope Hackle can reprogram you.]  
  
"I told him not to," Jake whispered, depressed.  
  
Chance could only sigh. "Let's get you home, buddy. It's time you left this metal prison."  
  
But, Jake couldn't move. This time, rather than being exhausted, he was crying. Crying for Cybertron, shedding tears for his haggard, prematurely aging friend, for himself, for everyone he hurt. He was just finally crying. Something he couldn't do for the past five years. And, all he could do was just let his once lost best friend engulf him in a bearhug. A welcome and yet very overprotective bearhug.   
  
The embrace didn't last long. Chance had barely lifted his head to suggest they leave when he saw the Enforcers barreling into the complex. And, he couldn't help but go back to his nightmare. No. He couldn't let it become a reality. Without hesitation, he planted himself in front of Jake, shielding him.   
  
Instead of the sniper, however, the Enforcers paused in their tracks, blinking, confused. And, leading them was Commander Feral.   
  
Realizing who it was that was standing in front of them, the taller kat arched a brow. "Furlong?"  
  
"Please... don't..." Chance returned.   
  
Feral merely shook his head, assuming Jake was already "subdued," judging by the unconscious form lying down behind the tabby. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I am now," Chance returned gruffly. "Please... don't hurt Jake."  
  
His pleas only had Feral make a strange face... an expression so unlike the commander that it would have scared him had he'd looked in the mirror. "Easy, Furlong. I'm not. C'mon, it's over.... And, it looks like you need some medical treatment."  
  
Now Chance was confused. Was he actually speaking to *the* Commander Feral? Had he had room to laugh, he could have. But, the situation was so serious that not even the once cocky SWAT Kat that mocked the Enforcer commander daily could crack a smile. Instead, he slowly turned to scoop up his unconscious friend. "What about the Metallikats?"  
  
"We took care of them. C'mon."  
  
Wait. A. Minute. "How'd you do that?!" The tabby was rather shocked, but there'd been enough surprises for one night. He just couldn't deal with all of them.   
  
And, with that, Feral only smirked. Somehow, Chance doubted that Feral was seriously gloating. Instead, he followed him out of the fortress, hoping, praying that Jake was alright.   
  
-------------------------------  
  
Restoring proper order had been a lot harder than Feral had expected, but at least it could be done without having to worry about renegade robots aiming laser guns at his head. He gazed towards the city from his now remodeled office in what once was Metallikat HeadQuarters.   
  
He watched as the squadrons took off in neat formation, the choppers circling close by to return civilians back to their homes.   
  
Yes, it would take time. But, at least, MegaKat City was free of any strain that'd held it down for so long.   
  
He remembered the battle. His men had barely managed to take down what was left of the Metallikat Forces. They were lucky, however, when the messangers to Katskill City returned with reinforcements in time to boost their attack. Not to mention that the 'informer'*** that had mobilized Katskill Forces the night the Enforcers escaped had given them the exact coordinates.   
  
The Enforcer Commander had been relieved when he'd received a call from Deputy Mayor Calico Briggs as she among others were transported back to MegaKat City. Her sending the Katskill troops had been a blessing. She'd explained that the work camp guard had been recently paid for his services, promised a new life if he cooperated.   
  
Feral couldn't complain. Not this time.   
  
His city had been recovered. He had a speech to write for the new founded heroes of the newly recovered MegaKat City.   
  
Speaking of heroes, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Furlong and Clawson. He hadn't seen them since the raid on Metallikat HeadQuarters. Maybe it was time to reconsider their expulsion from the force. Of course, that would be up to them to decide.   
  
For the first time, Feral actually smiled.   
  
-------------------------------  
  
"How deep was the chip embedded?"   
  
Chance's tone was tired, but relieved. For the first time in five years he'd slept soundly, not waking up until he felt his body was fully rested.   
  
"Quite deep," returned Hackle, polishing his glasses gently as they sat at the kitchen table. "But, the doctors seem to think the surgery was completely successful, although they did mention that he might have some memory loss.  
  
"Memory loss? You mean... forget what happened these past five years?"   
  
"We won't know how much his memory has been affected until he awakens." Hackle sighed. "One could hope he would forget that."  
  
"Would be for the best," Chance murmured. "How's the Cybertron coming along?"  
  
The aging inventor chuckled a bit. "I've been adding the backup files I found among Jake's files to my own backup for him. He'll have some memory loss as well but not much."  
  
The tabby could only sigh in some relief. He'd been worried day and night about his friend's condition... if the chip had been removed successfully. Speaking of which...   
  
"How'd you stop the Metallikats?"  
  
"An improved version of my neural neutralizer. The Enforcers found me before the battle."  
  
"So it deactivated them?"  
  
Hackle nodded, his frail eyes drooping to the table. "I'm already working on disassembling them." There was a sad tone to his voice, one that had Chance lay a hand on his shoulder.   
  
"Isn't there anyway to give them a different hard disk? Or has that been tried?"  
  
"It's... very confusing deciding what to do. Deciding how much real kats they even are anymore."  
  
Chance's ears drooped. "I'm sorry. I know you see something in them that the rest of us just can't..."  
  
The old scientist interrupted him. "I'll have to debate it. Now, you go on and see if Jake needs anything."  
  
"Alright," said Chance, as he got up from the table. "Thanks, Doc... for everything."  
  
"You're welcome, my boy," returned Hackle with a small smile on his face.   
  
-------------------------------  
  
Jake was asleep in a tight ball by the time Chance made his way upstairs, snuggled into his pillow, a bandage covering the area where the chip had once been.   
  
Chance dragged a chair over and sat with the back in front of him, watching his friend, tired, but relieved. He paused to remember the operation, his carting Jake over to the nearest area where he could find a doctor. Asking that very doctor to perform a miracle - to save his best friend.   
  
Hackle taking him by the arm and telling him to relax. To let the doctors do the work now. All he could do was wait. He'd fallen asleep along the line, waking up the very next day, remembering, pitching a fit when he couldn't find Jake until Hackle sat him down and told him to calm down.   
  
He smiled, shook his head. His best friend was safe. That was all that mattered. He closed his eyes briefly, but not before whispering, "Welcome home, buddy."  
  
At that, Jake stirred, slitting his eyes open as he'd laid on the bandage and the area was still tender. Rolling over, he saw Chance.   
  
"Chance?"  
  
Chance opened his eyes again. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty."  
  
"Wha... What's going on?" asked the smaller kat as he sat up. Pausing briefly, he rubbed his head, finding the bandage. "What happened?"  
  
"You've been asleep for a good 72 hours."  
  
"Did this happen with Mad Kat?" Jake cocked his head curiously, memories flitting back and forth, mixed out of order.   
  
Chance only smiled and shook his head. "Metallikats, actually... managed to knock you out." It wasn't the whole truth, but the tabby felt half the truth was just as good.   
  
"Okay." Jake could somehow sense there was more... and almost remember something more, but it wasn't coming to him. That is, not until he leaned over to squint at the gray hairs on Chance's head. "You've got... white hairs?"  
  
Chance could only give him a smart smirk. "Told ya' worrying about your condition would give me gray hairs."   
  
Jake narrowed his eyes. "Hmm..." He KNEW when Chance was lying, and after looking around carefully, he knew they weren't in the garage.   
  
"You don't believe me, do you?"  
  
"No."  
  
Chance nodded. "Thought so. I'll explain right after you recover all your strength. You're gonna need it."  
  
Jake's ears twitched forward, seeming to think for a minute, but he gave up as his head hurt. "Alright." He paused again as the Cybertron rolled in. Now THAT he remembered. "Hey! Cybertron!"  
  
His tabby partner spun around. "CYBERTRON!" He stood and picked up the little bot, giving it a hug best he could. Jake could only blink in confusion. Chance hated that bot. "Yer back!"  
  
The Cybertron could only beep back happily.   
  
And, once again, Jake looked on in confusion. "Chance...?"  
  
Chance set the robot down, then turned to Jake. "Like I said, I'll explain everything. Now, you better regain you strength."  
  
"Oh here, let me plug into the wall," Jake joked.   
  
Ever so suddenly, Chance became alarmed. "I beg your pardon?" No... the chip HAD been removed.   
  
The caramel kat abruptly sensed something in Chance's tone. "Well, you make it sound so easy. Like I just flip my recharge switch and..."   
  
"You don't HAVE a recharge switch!" Did he??   
  
Jake blinked, ears drooped. "I know... I was just kidding."  
  
Half relieved, Chance paused, realizing his outburst.   
  
"I'm sorry, Buddy..."  
  
"Chance, what is it?" Jake wasn't sure if he could wait around for an explanation. "Just tell me. It would spare me some confusion."  
  
"Alright." Chance sank into the chair again, and started the tale. His finding the Cyclotron in the tunnel when Razor didn't reply to his call on that fateful day five years ago, his hunting him down to the swamps, his confronting the villains, learning the awful truth about his partner, fighting, watching his city fall, being on the run.... Five long years. He choked his way through some of it, glossing over parts, shaking through others. Finally he finished after taking in a deep breath. "And... you're here."  
  
Jake listened as Chance talked, face only shifting slightly, ears and tail twitching often. Both drooped once Chance was finished. "I'm sorry, Chance..."  
  
"Why are you sorry, Buddy? This whole incident wasn't your fault..."  
  
"I... I just feel like part of it was..."  
  
Chance interrupted him by shaking his head fiercly. "Only physically. Mentally... well... Dark Kat was running the show."  
  
The Cybertron beeped indignantly. Neither was about to let Jake beat himself up over it. At that, the smaller kat grinned.   
  
"Well, if the two of you're gonna gang up on me."  
  
Chance grinned back. "Might as well."  
  
"Okay, okay, you two. I'll try not to beat myself up... At least not before breakfast." A wry grin followed thereafter.   
  
"You BETTER not beat yourself up. I'll do it for you if you do." Chance smirked as Jake lay back a bit, a smile engulfing his face this time. "I'll get ya' some breakfast. Just relax, got that?"  
  
Jake nodded. "Okay. And, Chance..."  
  
He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he stood up best he could and grabbed his partner in a tight and thankful embrace.   
  
And, at that, the once tired and frustrated tabby held his tears from streaming down his cheeks as he returned the bear hug.   
  
Five long years. Five years of running, fighting, waiting, planning... they were finally over. It would take time to pick up the pieces, but at least the once crime-fighters were reunited.   
  
Who knew what came in the near future? No one in MegaKat City, at least.   
  
Perhaps it was time for the SWAT Kats to make another entrance. And, this time, stay for good until the very end.   
  
-----------------------------  
The End  
  
* - Referring to "Deadly Pyramid"  
  
** - Referring to "Unlikey Alloys"  
  
*** - Refers to "Stratagem"  
  
Inspirational Music:   
  
"You Can't Take Me" - Bryan Adams - (Jake's song)  
  
"Plowed" - Sponge - (Chance's song)  
  
"Everyday" - Bon Jovi  
  
"Phantom of the Opera" - Techno Remix   
  
"Set Me Free" - DJ Sonix (Battle Between the Enforcers and the Metallikats)  
  
"Ressurection" - Paul Oakenfold - (Enforcers Defeat the Metallikats) 


End file.
